Starting issue Kawasaki ZX7RR 1996

[Mikkel]

Now that I've fixed the cooling system it stands to reason that something else would have to come up... and it did.

Tonight I put my cooling system back together, filled it up with water to check that there were no leaks and that the system works as it should before putting the proper coolant in.

That done I goes to fire the bike up. Since it's been sitting for a while it takes a while for the fuel pump to get the carbs ready for action and so it is not unusual to have to try for at least a couple of minutes before it goes.
So that's what I'm doing, giving the flat slide a couple of twists of the throttle to help the process along. And then an audible *CLICK* is heard and nothing more happens. The lights on the dash dies down to about a tenth of their usual brightness. I go Uh-Oh and turn the ignition off and then I check all the fuses - all good.
After that I'm just having a bit of a play and then all of a sudden the dash lights come back up to normal brightness. With a bit of apprehension I have another go at starting it - another *CLICK* and the dashlights are dimmed.
So it goes for a while - the dashlights sometimes flashing back up to normal brightness - sometimes only to immediately dim again and other times they stay on until I try to run the starter again. The clicking action does take place in the fuse box, but the fuses are not affected.

Having thought about it for a while, my question is this:

Is it plausible that the bike has an inbuilt safety feature (i.e. a relay) that switches to a low-power mode - which doesn't allow the starter motor to run - in order to prevent the battery from getting shagged silly if the voltage drops below a certain point?`
If so, a recharge could take care of it... I suppose?

If not, what's wrong with my bike?

Cheers

[T.W.R]

Solenoid is playing up by the sounds of it or the starter lockout switch is throwing a tantrum

[Mikkel]

Solenoid is playing up by the sounds of it or the starter lockout switch is throwing a tantrum

How do I confirm which it is?

And what to do in either case?

[howdamnhard]

You sure have fun with your bike.Just put your battery on overnight charge and try again.Battery is probably flat.When my battery died and I tried starting, the starter solenoid would bring the starter online and then the current draw would cause the voltage to drop causing the solenoid to drop out again.

[T.W.R]

How do I confirm which it is?

And what to do in either case?

You can by-pass the solenoid with use of having the battery removed & jumper leads directly, just have the - lead onto the engine block and the + lead onto the starter power supply terminal.
One click from the solenoid usually means it's locking out. If the battery is getting soft it'll click then most times will be heard giving a series of rapid clicks, that's mostly caused by worn brushes in the starter motor itself.

Juice the battery up try again & see what happens and when you do just give the starter motor a reasonable tap on the end as it could just be stuck, but means you're in for a set of brushes

[Mikkel]

Cheers guys, I'll go buy a battery charger today. Hopefully a top-up is all that is required.

Cheers

[Mikkel]

So I've measured the voltage across the battery terminals - 12.7 V compared to the 12.8 V stipulated by the manual.

Thus, I don't think that is the issue - while I don't know if the battery might die when drawing current I don't know where to go from here.

[MVnut]

a good healthy battery will run about 13.5 12.7 is near the minimum you need especially for your 7RR. I have a charger if you wanna borrow it

[zx rider]

Yes my 7r has done that to me. As the voltage drops the amps go up to maintain the power (wattage) required to crank the starter, so, with a low level of cranking amps the solenoid will release to save itself from damage. That is the loud click sound and no more starter action. As the relays recover and cool the voltage returns to a more normal level and the dash lights brighten up again. The voltage when cranking is the critical thing here, not the voltage at rest. DO recharge your battery and all will be fine. Also, is your fuel fresh? Good luck, L

[Mikkel]

Cheers mate, don't think I'll need it though. I'm getting a new battery tomorrow - the old one is shagged. When connected to the bike the voltage across the terminals is around 3.6 mV - yep, 0.0036 V. This drops to a round 0 V when the ignition is switched on.

However, I chucked the battery from the motard in there and it started up fine. About 13.1 V across the battery without the ignition on and when the bike is running it charges at about 15 V.

Cooling system appears fine except from at slight leak at the thermostat housing. Probably due to the old and worn O-ring - so I guess I'll get a new one of those.

[Mikkel]

Yes my 7r has done that to me. As the voltage drops the amps go up to maintain the power (wattage) required to crank the starter, so, with a low level of cranking amps the solenoid will release to save itself from damage. That is the loud click sound and no more starter action. As the relays recover and cool the voltage returns to a more normal level and the dash lights brighten up again. The voltage when cranking is the critical thing here, not the voltage at rest. DO recharge your battery and all will be fine. Also, is your fuel fresh? Good luck, L

Good to hear. I thought something along those lines would be going on

Still, I think I'll get a new battery. I have a feeling this one is not just low on charge, but thoroughly shagged.

[Max Preload]

Good to hear. I thought something along those lines would be going on

Still, I think I'll get a new battery. I have a feeling this one is not just low on charge, but thoroughly shagged.

Charge it and get it load tested by an auto electrician. Or just use your high impedence multimeter to measure the battery voltage while cranking.

Yes my 7r has done that to me. As the voltage drops the amps go up to maintain the power (wattage) required to crank the starter, so, with a low level of cranking amps the solenoid will release to save itself from damage. That is the loud click sound and no more starter action. As the relays recover and cool the voltage returns to a more normal level and the dash lights brighten up again.

Ohms law tends to disagree with you.